Project Overview
The Incorporated Societies Act 1908 is uncomfortably old and has been little amended since its enactment. Yet the range of community organisations that use this legal form is extensive in New Zealand. The focus of this review was on modernising the statute and providing greater guidance for people who run incorporated societies. The Report recommends that the 1908 Act be replaced by a new statute. It makes numerous recommendations for how that statute should provide better guidance for societies, including:
- Statutory duties for office holders;
- Requirements for dealing with conflicts of interest;
- A requirement to include dispute resolution procedures in every constitution;
- A model constitution.
The Commission’s Report, A New Act for Incorporated Societies (NZLC R129, 2013), was published on 21 August 2013. The Report and a summary of the key recommendations is available in PDF form here.